Nichole Barnes Marshall discovered the principles of belonging on a Chicago dance floor before she ever had corporate language for them. Growing up on the South Side, she found House music at eleven years old—and spent the next three decades translating what she learned in those underground spaces into strategies that transform how organizations think about culture, talent, and inclusion.

With over 25 years leading human capital and culture transformation across six industries, including Chief Diversity Officer roles at Pinterest, Bath & Body Works, and Aon, Nichole has built cultures that drive revenue growth, transform employee engagement, and outlast the leaders who resist change. She is the Founder and Chief Strategist of Marshall Matters, LLC, where she helps executives build organizations where people and business thrive together.

Nichole and her husband Kenny—a DJ—share a collection of over 20,000 vinyl records, a deep reverence for the artists who kept the beat alive, and an unshakeable belief that the most innovative ideas emerge when everyone in the room can dance to their own rhythm. They live outside Detroit with their three children and an adorable goldendoodle named Daisy.